Secret Heart
by Regency
Summary: Spinelli’s got this secret: he doesn’t just like Lulu, he loves her. And he’ll do anything to make her happy, even the impossible. Like getting her mother back. On Perm. Hiatus.
1. The Scorpion?

Author: Regency

Title: Secret Heart

Characters: Spinelli, Robert, Lulu, a little bit of Anna and Luke

Rating: PG

Summary: Spinelli's got this secret: he doesn't just like Lulu, he loves her. And he'll do anything to make her happy, even the impossible.

AN: Sort of completed in answer to LSpencer's _Before Mother's Day Is Over_

Disclaimer: I own none of the character's in this wee story.

* * *

Spinelli stood on the Port Charles waterfront waiting for his ride. It was the dead of night, his favorite time, and he was going on a trip.

Earlier today, he'd been looking for the Blonde One. She'd done one of her usual disappearing acts in preparation for her date with Dillon. He'd looked everywhere: Lucky and Liz's house, the Quartermaine mansion—they hadn't appreciated his visit-and Kelly's before he showed up at the hospital, thinking she'd stopped by to see the lady Nightingale. After speaking with his quasi-sister-in-law, he began to wander the halls hoping to randomly run into Lulu.

He didn't particularly need to see her, but he was definitely in the mood. However, luck was not on his side, and he managed to make it from the pediatric ward to intensive care before he had another idea. She was at Shadybrook, she had to be. It was where she always went when she really needed to bolster her confidence. Her mother did that for her, just by sitting there. The memories Lulu had seemed always to be enough. Spinelli envied that.

Thus decided, he'd hightailed it to the quiet side of town where Laura Spencer whiled away all her time. He'd recently made a few adjustments to her patient file, including adding himself to her authorized visitors list. He had no nefarious intentions for the Blonde Mother, he merely thought it sad she spent so many of her days without the pleasure of other company. The duty nurse on call let him straight through—obviously a new girl.

He'd slipped down the hall and peeked through the window to her room, expecting to see two blonde ones—instead he saw one and someone else. His stomach dropped as the silver-haired stranger presented a syringe with the intent of injecting the blonde mother with it. Spinelli acted without thinking-there wasn't time-and shoved his way into the room, scaring the the Distinguished Villain into dropping the needle on the floor, thereby rendering it useless. _Good._

Spinelli stumbled but stood firm. "I don't know what you think you're doing to the Blonde One's dearly beloved matriarch, but I won't allow you to hurt her." He glowered balefully at the greying gentleman, crouching in front of Laura's unmoving form.

The man sighed and looked towards the ceiling as though making a direct appeal to the Higher Power. He stood with a groan, his knees audibly protesting the move. "I wasn't going to hurt her, mate. I was hoping to heal her. Unfortunately, you've just ruined the only chance I had of doing that."

Spinelli blanched, peering wide-eyed at the syringe leaking onto the carpeted floor. He watched enough medical television drama to know it was no good now. He gulped.

But now to the business at hand.

"And you are?" Spinelli immediately inquired. Not many people ventured to visit Laura aside from the family, and even occasionally, himself. Certainly no men with distinct Australian accents.

The man in question dampened his lips and he extended his hand in courtly fashion.

"Robert Scorpio. You must be The Jackal."

Spinelli's eyes practically bugged out of his head. _The Scorpion? No way._ This man was a legend with the State Department and, having himself read their records front to back, him. What he didn't understand was how the man, the myth, knew him by name. Spinelli shook the proffered hand with a stunned expression.

"You are aware of The Jackal?"

Smirking, Robert suavely tucked his hands in his chinos. "You're sort of a celebrity in my area of expertise. You can hack systems more sophisticated than anything we've managed to design so far. For some time there's been a buzz about recruiting you, but just before we managed to get a word in edgewise Alcazar snapped you up. I guess you could say you were a bit beyond our reach at that point. Now that you're working for Corinthos, you're untouchable."

Spinelli struggled to take it all in. His idol was telling him that basically he was on the wrong side. He could be out in the world-saving the world! Yet, he was here, making a mess of things as usual. He inclined his chin towards the still figure of Laura Spencer.

"And what of the Blonde Mother? Why are you injecting her? If she could be cured you would've done it by now."

"Not that simple, I'm afraid. You see, this elixir has existed for some time, but it's been damned hard to procure. An old enemy of Luke-you know him, I presume-and Laura's had it in abundance but wasn't in a sharing mood. So, we had to swipe a bit; just enough for analysis and later to administer. We had just enough." He rubbed his face, clearly distraught beneath his calm exterior. "Now, we don't have any."

Spinelli stared at the back of her head, guilt pressing insistently down upon him. He'd messed up, big time. He'd taken Lulu's mom away from her forever, maybe. He didn't think he could live with that on his conscience.

"You said there was more though, right?"

"I did."

"Then, let's go get it." He had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he knew there was no alternative. He had to do this.

"Whoa there, buck. What exactly are you proposing?"

Spinelli's leg began to twitch impatiently on the floor. At this point, he was perfectly willing to run the distance. He stood tall and brave. "The Jackal is declaring his intention to assist the Scorpion in obtaining as much of the Elixir of Life as is necessary to resurrect theBblonde Mother." Upon recognizing Robert's near complete lack of comprehension, he simplified, "Her family needs her. You probably know that better than I do." He looked down at his shoes.

Robert nodded, his expression darkening. "Her absence has left a considerable void in this town. Hell, my motives are purely selfish," he shrugged. "I miss my old friend. God knows Luke's been a disaster without her."

Spinelli nodded, sensing something else beneath the word _friend_, yet deciding that some things were better preserved in silence. "Then, our path is clear. The sooner we accomplish our goal, the sooner she reaps the benefits." He had begun to take on Lulu's cause as his own. Could there be anything more wrong than an innocent woman imprisoned within her own body?

The elder spy looked at the young layman with something akin to pity. Spinelli was filled to the brim with a kind of romanticized idealism-poor naïve boy. Robert sensed that it would be harder than that. There was evil brewing in Port Charles in the form of the formerly adoring Scotty Baldwin and it was imminent. His fear was that they'd return-if they returned-t0 find an empty chair where Laura had been and she'd be lost to them for good.

"I can't allow you to go with me. It's too dangerous. You don't have the experience." This kid, for all his genius, had already shown himself to be a liability. Robert couldn't take a chance that he'd muck up anything else.

"I do have the expertise where computer systems are concerned. I am the overlord of the internet…" Spin put aside his usual lingo in the hopes of impressing the Mighty Scorpion. It was crucial that he made his case clearly. "I can get you in and out of anywhere. And, I've got youth on my side. No offense, sir, but, you…don't." He winced at his own lack of tact.

Robert narrowed his eyes in response. "No, I don't. Nonetheless, I can enter and leave a building without an excessive number of people wanting to strangle me. Somehow, I doubt you're endowed with similar talent."

Spinelli ducked his head, reddening. No, he didn't have _that_ one. "Look, Super Special Agent Scorpio, The Jackal is desperate to correct this grievous error-I need to fix this. For the Blonde One, for the _Unlucky_ Male, and even for the Absent Papa." Slipping, he had to catch himself. "If you could just see them, you'd see how much they need her every day. Whatever she gave them they don't have without her. The memories aren't enough. Let me go with you and make this right. Let me give Lulu back her mom."

Robert debated with himself, resisting his instinctual response to say no and be done with it. Young Spinelli had made several key points that he had to consider. They needed his technical skill and his age was also a plus. A young man was more likely to blend in than a fellow of his distinguished years. So, he did, indeed, need the Jackal. He felt an acute migraine starting up just behind the eyes.

"All right. But first things first." Robert looked around warily, composing a hasty and foolhardy plan. "We need to make the Golden Mother disappear before she really does disappear courtesy of Scott Baldwin. Jack, I need you to shut off the lighting in this wing of the clinic for roughly-and I mean _roughly_-five minutes while I get her out of here."

Spin didn't give himself time to ask why. This was the Mighty Scorpion after all. When he struck, damned be those who stood in his way. He dropped to the edge of Laura's vacant bed with his laptop at the ready. It was his constant companion, hadn't let him down yet. _More reliable than man by far._

"The lights here will shut down in two minutes and be down for five minutes, twenty-three seconds. Rough enough for ya?"

Robert made an a-okay sign with his fingers before slipping out of the room in search of a wheelchair. Spin allowed his gaze to drift from the screen where he was monitoring the hospital cameras to the empty eyes that seemed to find the window so appealing. Under all the emptiness, he thought he saw parts of Lulu: that kindness she used sparingly, that smile she shone that dragged mere boys down the path to obsession. He saw where she got her beauty from, and her heart.

"We'll get you back. I promise." He looked back down to see the timer at the corner of his screen twenty seconds from zero. Just then, Robert eased back into the room and motioned for him to assist in Laura's transport.

He nodded and positioned his laptop for optimum observation. They guided her stubborn muscles carefully, afraid of breaking the shattered porcelain. She came down easily-and then the lights flashed out. Save for the strong gleam of his plasma screen, they were immersed in darkness.

"All right, now we go. I planned for this. If worse came to worse, Laura would be moved to a different facility where she could receive constant treatment. And I don't mean her sitting in a chair everyday. I mean actual treatment. That's where we're taking her now, just in case the elixir can't be procured and, therefore, can't be of help. Move quietly and shut off the computer. Follow me."

Spinelli clicked the laptop shut and followed docilely, having to rely on his ears to tell him where Robert had gotten to. With stealth James Bond would have envied, they maneuvered through the panicked psychiatric patients and staff out of the building to a picturesque loading dock near a lake. There was a yacht idling gently just off the shore. Robert gave a great whistle and it cruised towards them at low power.

Out of the corner of his eye, Spinelli thought he saw a flash of awareness in Laura's face but it was gone when he turned his head. He had a feeling. Regardless, he knew they were in negative time and that Laura's absence would probably be noted immediately as they were likely to do a headcount after the blackout.

An unfamiliar brunette stepped out of the lower cabin to assist them in moving Laura out of the chair. She had a pretty if serious face and her expression didn't lighten as she took in her old friend's slack features.

"Oh, Laura, are you even still in there?" Her accent tickled Spin's ear as well and he filed it away for later.

"She is," Robert answered for her. "I see her, but she's far away."

The dark-haired woman looked over Robert's shoulder at Spinelli who shuffled his feet. Robert noticed and snapped his fingers. They were out of time. "That's the Jackal and he's half the reason we're here right now." He held up his hand as she prepared to protest further. "There's been a mishap and he's coming with us." He turned to Spinelli. "Be on the docks tonight. We'll come for you. Right now, we need to get her as far away from here as possible. You're probably on record as her last visitor, which means you _need_ to be accessible for a while longer." He nodded to Anna who revved up the engine full-power. "Tonight!" he reminded him firmly.

_Tonight._ Right. Spinelli would be there with bells on.


	2. Away Love

The yacht quickly disappeared into the distance, leaving Spinelli with a heavy heart and a little bit nervous. He had a feeling that something was about to go very wrong, even more wrong. The back doors of the clinic opened and he realized exactly what it was. Security!

Without wasting another minute, he bolted, knowing he'd be caught and not giving a damn. Running was his modus operandi. Helping the Scorpion was the bravest thing he'd ever done. He could not spend the night in jail. He pulled the tried and true duck and dodge. And it worked. He managed to get all the way back to town with that one. _This calls for a super-sized mocha supreme milkshake of the highest order._

He made it to Kelly's and, to his profound misfortune, ran headfirst into the Absent Papa. Things got very sticky from there. Evidently, something tripped the Spencer Patriarch's spidey senses, prompting him to catch Spinelli by the scruff of his neck and not let go. He would not count it as one of his better moments.

"Wait a minute, just where are you off to in such a hurry? Or should I be asking where you're coming _from_?" He sounded mildly amused and not-at-all curious. _At last, the origin of the Blonde One's less charming personality traits._ Spinelli was inwardly thankful for the elder's indifference and prayed he'd be released before the inevitable phone call came. Alas, it was not to be.

Absent Papa's cell rang out and he let Spin go long enough to reach for it. Another cue for the skittish one-he shot away from the tiny coffeehouse like a bullet out of a homemade pistol. He kept listening even as distance came between where he was and where he'd been.

"Hey, you! Get back here!" Long strides followed his shorter ones, so he double-timed it. He knew Luke Spencer to be old school. Zigzagging wouldn't save him from his imminent wrathful interrogation. That left him one option: run like hell and pray for rain. The Scorpion had said _accessible_, not available for a rousing bout of kickboxing with the Blond One's father.

Spinelli tripped on a crack in the sidewalk only to be seized by a pair of unrelenting hands that threw him to the ground. He stared up in horror at the Spencer Patriarch who said, "You either tell me what you've done with Laura or you see stars."

At this point, Spinelli couldn't actually breathe. He was too afraid to try and, so, held his breath. The man yanked him forward by his shirt.

"Speak!" His fist was poised over the Jackal's face, looking as though it packed a convincing wallop. His vision dimmed accordingly.

"I know not of what you speak," he uttered at his own risk.

"Really?" Luke's expression became impossibly more menacing. Spinelli braced himself for pain. "You went to see her not an hour ago, not minutes before she vanished. Why were you at Shadybrook?"

Spinelli squinted up, hoping-maybe even praying a little-for an intervention. "I was looking for the Blonde One." He realized the error of his words and panicked. "The other londe one! The younger blonde one! I didn't find her. So, I left." He winced at the impossible lie. It wasn't a good one, not nearly one of his best.

"You left?"

Spin nodded only to be met with Luke's hand around his throat.

"Where did you take her?" Luke was nothing if not single-minded. Rationality was foreign in this moment. He was beginning to understand the myth of Luke and Laura painfully well.

"I don't know where she is."

"Did you see who took her?"

Damian pursed his lips, diverting his eyes, thinking maybe they wouldn't give him away. It wasn't a day for him to praise his body parts.

"Computer boy, I'm not kidding. Tell me or I kill you. Simple options: chose one."

"Just some guy," he whispered, hedging. He needed to be going. If he was going to save the Blonde Mother, he'd have to shake the formerly Blond Father.

He did indeed see stars as he skull made harsh contact with the pavement. He groaned. "More than necessary force, Distinguished One."

"I'll show you force, spud. If you don't tell me where Laura is I'll _force_ you into the middle of rush hour traffic-on your back!"

"I can't tell you," he relented. It wasn't worth his life, or Laura's, to keep up this lie. If he could just show the Proud Papa that he was the only key to Laura, he'd be fine.

"Why not?" They were causing quite the commotion. In fact, Spinelli recognized a bloned head bobbing in the crowd.

"Dad! Let Spinelli go. Dad." Lulu came up behind her father, attempting to separate him from her clearly overcome suitor. Luke wasn't going anywhere.

"He took your mom, Lu. He was there when she disappeared from Shadybrook and he won't tell me where she is, who has her, and why they took her. I'm not letting him go."

Lulu looked stricken. She clearly hadn't gotten the call. "Spinelli, is that true? Do you know where my mom is?"

He shouldn't say. He knew it would make things even more complicated if he told her what had happened; he just wasn't smart enough to lie to her. He looked away.

"Spinelli, if you know, you have to tell us. She can't protect herself. That means it's up to us to keep her safe. Tell me, please."

"She's all right," he croaked. His throat ached and the stars he was seeing changed into dark spots on his vision.

Lulu was next to his head, touching his face. It was nice. "Spin, where's my mom?"

"In the company of greatness," he wheezed.

"Who?" Luke cut in.

Spinelli attempted to pry Luke's fingers away from his neck. "The Scorpion. He was present at the Jackal's arrival."

Luke gave a confused scowl. "Robert?"

"Yes," he rasped. "He was trying give her something, something to revive her, but the Jackal…I made him jump and he dropped the needle. Therefore, I am duty-bound to help him get more of the cure."

"There's a cure." A faint hope lit Luke's voice, and he loosened his hold on Spinelli's neck, who could finally nod.

"It's location is perilous, but The Jackal will help him get there to retrieve the antidote. I'm the only one who can."

Luke stood up, not bothering to dust himself off. "I don't think so. You've done enough. I'll get it."

Spinelli propped himself up on his elbows, staring helplessly at the towering figure of the Blonde Mother's eternal savior. He shook his head. "No, sir, it can't be you. It has to be the Jackal. I have technical the expertise to do this. It _has_ to be me. Even the Scorpion agrees," he shrugged as though that was the final word. He turned to Lulu, who looked scared and determined and his sinking feeling didn't lessen. Her mindset was his open book.

"No, Blonde One, you have to stay here. Your sole duty is to ensure the Blond Mother's safety while we're away. There are people out to hurt her. If we have a cure, but we don't have anyone to give it to the journey will be pointless. Give me your word that you'll keep an eye out."

Lulu looked suspicious, but trusting. "You know I'll do anything for my mom. I just don't know how I can take care of her if I don' t even know where she is."

Although Spinelli realized the vow he was about to make was false, he knew that not making it was worse. The plan would stall if he couldn't send the Spencers on a different path. He licked his lips uneasily. Did he mention lying was the rare talent he did not possess?

"When the time is right, a call will come for you," he took Lulu's hand. "It will tell you the location of the Blonde Mother. The thing is, you'll only get the call if we fail in our mission. It will probably only come if we die trying. Otherwise, we're not going to stop until we can bring her back. We just won't. I won't."

Lulu was putting on a brave face and nodding as though she understood. That was the thing, Spinelli thought, she knew him better than anyone alive and she knew he meant it. He would die trying to give her back what she wanted most. It was immature, and maybe a little selfish. That didn't meant he wouldn't do it. It was love after all.

Aware that they were still sitting on the pavement in the middle of the street, Lulu helped Spinelli up. Luke had already disappeared, most likely in search of his old friend and Lulu looked about ready to flee herself.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tonight."

She arched an eyebrow in surprise. "That 's pretty soon. I thought it would take more time to get this kind of operation under way."

Spinelli stuck his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. "You'd think so, but the Scorpion planned well, even well enough to weather the Jackal's reign of destruction. He was prepared for best laid plans to go awry."

They started to walk together, amid the whispers of the latest Spencer hijinks, towards the docks. He deviated somewhat, directing them back towards Kelly's. He didn't want her anywhere near the docks when he had to leave. If she was there, she was as good as going on the trip and he wasn't about to let that happen. She was tough as any warrior princess he'd ever known, as beautiful too, yet she was someone he wanted to shield, to safeguard. He wanted to be her hero for once instead of the other way around.

When they arrived at the entrance to the tiny coffee shop, he had a feeling it was almost his time to go. He wanted to call it his gut, but that mainly consisted of the part of his brain that told him when to hit the space bar during level four of _Spartan Battlements_ _III_. No, his instincts weren't much to speak of, but they were his and he trusted them.

"The Jackal must depart, now," he smiled nervously. "But, uh, I'll be back. Hopefully, upon my return, I'll be able to revive the Bloned Mother and restore order to the House of Spencer." It sounded so noble, he almost didn't believe he was the one trying to do it. And he didn't know what else to say. "Take care." He didn't want to say goodbye this way.

The Blonde One appeared nonplussed. She was non-responsive, he would even describe her eyes as somewhat lost. She didn't say a word; just threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Her tears were on his face, salty and wet, warming his heart and cementing his resolve.

"I will always love you for this," she whispered in his ear. He clung to her and memorized it all. This was first love and it felt like forever.

"That's why I have to do this," he whispered in return. "Because I love you, too." There they were, words he couldn't yank back into his soul where they were sure to go unharrassed. She was stunned into silence; her lips moved without sound. He brushed her feathery bangs away from her eyes so that he could commit them to memory. It was a small gesture that meant it everything.

"Farewell,…my Lulu." Without waiting for her response, he pulled out of her embrace and hurried headlong into the night. The Scorpion was waiting.


End file.
